CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: HARDSHIP

Ashton blinked in surprise, almost dropping his spoon. He hadn’t expected Lila to appear out of nowhere, let alone to immediately ridicule them. His eyebrows shot up as her words sank in.

"What’s wrong with you?" he blurted out, unable to hold back. "What did we ever do to you? You can’t just come here and call us losers. And to think I still thought highly of you."

Lila slowly looked Ashton up and down, her gaze filled with disdain as if he were a bug that had dared to speak. Then, with a sharp tilt of her head, she turned her attention to both Aiden and Julian.

"Wow," she said, her tone dripping with mockery. "I didn’t think the two of you had gotten yourselves a spokesman. And it looks like he’s just as idiotic as you are."

Aiden slammed his fork down on the table, the sound cutting through the tense silence of the dining hall. He stood abruptly, his silver hair catching the light, and glared straight at Lila.

"What did we ever do to you?" he demanded. "I don’t even know you. You can’t just go around biting everyone with your words. At some point, people will start thinking you’re crazy."

Lila’s eyes narrowed into slits. "Wow. The princess can talk after all. But tell me, aren’t you even a little grumpy that you’re standing up for this bastard?" She flicked her chin toward Julian, who was still staring at his bowl, refusing to look up. "He’s just sitting there, sulking, like the coward he’s always been."

"So what if he’s looking at his bowl?" Aiden snapped back without hesitation. "If you’re trying to come between us with something that shallow, then let me tell you straight. It’s not working. You’ll have to try again."

A sly smile curved across Lila’s face. She shifted her attention toward aiden and Ashton, her voice turning sharp. "I’m telling you now. If you two continue being friends with this bastard, you’ll regret ever coming to this school. I’ll make your lives hell."

Julian finally lifted his head. His voice came out low at first but firm, anger burning beneath each word. "Lila Hayes. If you do anything to hurt my friends, I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make you suffer."

Lila burst into laughter, loud and cruel. "So the bastard can talk too. If it weren’t for your bitch of a mother, you wouldn’t even exist. And did you just threaten me? Do you want me to show you what I’ve learned in this school?"

Aiden froze as he saw fire flicker to life on Lila’s fingertips. The flames danced lightly on her skin, dangerous and alive. Lila tilted her head, a twisted smile tugging at her lips as she let the fire flare higher.

"What if," she mused softly, "I accidentally threw this fire at your bodies? What do you think would happen?" Her gaze locked onto Aiden in particular. "Or better yet, what if I lit your precious silver hair on fire, pretty boy? Do you think you’d still look like this?"

Aiden rolled his eyes, unbothered by her attempt to intimidate him. "Just admit you’re jealous of my hair. It’s not that hard. But here’s the truth: you’ll never have hair like mine, and you’ll never be as beautiful as I am. I honestly can’t believe you think ’pretty boy’ is an insult. What an idiot."

"You—" Lila’s voice shook with fury, her composure finally cracking. "You, you, you... do you even know what I can do to you?"

"What?" Aiden shot back. "Burn me with your fire? Go ahead. Let me see you try first."

Julian moved closer, stepping up beside Aiden. His eyes were locked on Lila, his voice tight but steady. "Yes, I might not be as powerful as you right now. But I have a high-grade potential, and you only have a middle-grade. That means soon enough, I’ll surpass you. And when I do, I’ll return every bit of torment you’ve given me since childhood, tenfold."

The words struck Lila harder than she had expected. For a moment, her smile faltered. Jealousy twisted her features as she processed the fact that this boy she’d always belittled, this "bastard," carried greater potential than she did. Her pride burned hotter than the flames on her hand.

She stepped forward until she was standing directly before Julian. Leaning in, she whispered into his ear, her words venomous and cruel. "Will you even get to make use of that potential if you die young? I don’t think so. If I were you, I’d keep hiding like the coward you are. Because if you die early, wouldn’t your mother’s sacrifice be for nothing?"

Julian clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles white with anger. There was nothing he could do, not yet. The helplessness in his silence only made Lila smirk with more disdain.

She was about to continue when another voice cut across the dining hall.

"Lila," Seraphina called from the table where she was already eating. "Come and sit. Ryker will be here soon, and I don’t want him to see you bickering with first-years."

Lila clicked her tongue in annoyance but straightened, shooting one last glare at Aiden, Julian, and Ashton. "Count yourselves lucky."

She then glanced around the dining hall. Dozens of students had been watching the argument unfold with wide eyes. "What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "Do you need me to help you find your way back to your food?"

Every head quickly bent down, spoons clinking nervously against bowls as students resumed eating.

Aiden and his friends slowly sat back down. Ashton shook his head in disbelief. "What’s wrong with her? Is she crazy?" He turned toward Julian, his brows furrowed. "And why does she keep calling you a bastard? It even looks like you’ve known each other for years. What caused all this hatred between you two?"

Julian’s expression tightened. He didn’t want to talk about it. "Please, Ashton. I don’t want to discuss this. I’m sorry you had to be dragged into this because of me, but I really don’t want to talk about it."

Although Ashton was dying with curiosity, he respected Julian’s tone. He sighed, though a part of him burned with frustration. He loved gossip, lived for it, but Aiden had already made it clear that prying into Julian’s past would break their code as friends. He would have to starve this craving, at least for now. But one day, Ashton promised himself, he would get his fill of someone else’s secrets.

Trying to shake it off, he said, "Since we’re done here, can we leave?"

Julian nodded. "Yeah. I’m not in the mood to eat anymore. Let’s go. Aiden, what about you?"

But Aiden wasn’t listening. He sat motionless, staring into space, absentminded and lost in thought.

"What’s wrong with him?" Ashton whispered to Julian. "Is he really that upset over what Lila said?"

Julian shrugged, though suddenly realization struck him. Seraphina had mentioned Ryker. That was what was haunting Aiden’s mind. Without wasting another second, Julian leaned across the table and shook Aiden’s shoulder.

"Aiden, since we’re done, let’s get out of here. Don’t you want me to show you around the school grounds?"

"But—" Aiden started, but Julian cut him off.

"No, Aiden. We are not going there. I already told you what the implications are. You need to give up. Don’t make your life harder here. Come on, follow me right now."

Ashton blinked at the two of them. Their conversation felt like riddles, English that might as well have been Latin. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Julian didn’t look away from Aiden. "I’ll explain later. But Ashton, help me convince him. I don’t want disaster to fall on him."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Julian. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. I just want to thank him. That’s all. Of course I’ll give up afterward. And besides, Seraphina is just another student. How bad can she be?"

At the mention of Seraphina, Ashton froze. His instincts connected the dots. His gossip-loving mind hated the conclusion he had reached.

"Aiden," Ashton said firmly, "if it’s what I think it is, then no. We can’t. You definitely can’t talk to him. Stand up right now and let’s go."

Before Aiden could answer, the dining hall erupted into noise. Excited voices filled the air, students standing and craning their necks.

"Wow, Ryker is so handsome," one girl exclaimed. "Just look at that face."

Ashton and Julian exchanged a single horrified look. "Shit," they muttered in unison.

Aiden’s eyes flew to the entrance. There stood Ryker, looking impossibly handsome, his presence commanding the entire hall. Aiden’s heart pounded wildly, his face flushing red as memories of their first meeting rushed back.

Julian and Ashton shared the same grim thought. From this moment on, Aiden’s time in this school would be anything but easy. His hardships had only just begun.